George Lucas interview on Star Wars
09-15-04, 10:55 PM
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George Lucas interview on Star Wars
http://story.news.yahoo.com/news?tmp...a_george_lucas
SAN RAFAEL, Calif. - George Lucas never figured on a 30-year career as a space pilot. Once "Star Wars" shot into hyperspace, though, he found it hard to come back down to Earth.
Making its DVD debut Tuesday, Lucas' original sci-fi trilogy — "Star Wars," "The Empire Strikes Back" and "Return of the Jedi" — began as an experimental foray into old-time studio moviemaking for Lucas, whose first two films had been far removed from usual Hollywood sensibilities.
Lucas' sci-fi satire "THX 1138" had been a commercial dud, but the energetic "American Graffiti" with its driving soundtrack and multi-character point of view scored with audiences, giving the director clout to try something bigger that had been on his mind.
"I'd already started this other idea, which was to do a kind of a classic action adventure film using sets," Lucas said over lunch at his 2,600-acre Skywalker Ranch. "I'd never worked on a set, I'd never worked at a studio. Never made a traditional movie. So I said, `I'm going to do this once, just to see what it's like, what it's like to actually design everything, work on a soundstage, do an old-fashioned 1930s movie.
"And I'll do it in that mode from the 1930s Saturday matinee serials, using kind of 1930s and '40s sensibilities, and I'll base it on sort of mythological motifs and icons. I'll just put it together in a modern form, and I'll have fun. That's how I got into that. I did it because it was an interesting move into an area that I thought I'd never go into."
Three decades later, Lucas is preparing to launch the last of his six "Star Wars" films. Next summer brings "Star Wars: Episode III — Revenge of the Sith," completing the prequel trilogy that tells the story of young Anakin Skywalker's metamorphosis into the villainous Darth Vader of the original three films.
Fans have eagerly awaited the first three "Star Wars" films on DVD, a release Lucas initially intended to delay until he finished "Episode III."
Some will be miffed that the original theatrical versions are not included in the "Star Wars" boxed set, which features only the special-edition versions Lucas issued in the late 1990s, with added effects and footage, including a scene between Harrison Ford (news)'s Han Solo and crime lord Jabba the Hutt in the first "Star Wars."
AP: Why did you change your mind and decide to put the original three movies out on DVD now?
Lucas: Just because the market has shifted so dramatically. A lot of people are getting very worried about piracy. That has really eaten dramatically into the sales. It really just came down to, there may not be a market when I wanted to bring it out, which was like, three years from now. So rather than just sit by and watch the whole thing fall apart, better to bring it out early and get it over with.
AP: Why did you rework the original trilogy into the special-edition versions in the late 1990s?
Lucas: To me, the special edition ones are the films I wanted to make. Anybody that makes films knows the film is never finished. It's abandoned or it's ripped out of your hands, and it's thrown into the marketplace, never finished. It's a very rare experience where you find a filmmaker who says, "That's exactly what I wanted. I got everything I needed. I made it just perfect. I'm going to put it out there." And even most artists, most painters, even composers would want to come back and redo their work now. They've got a new perspective on it, they've got more resources, they have better technology, and they can fix or finish the things that were never done. ... I wanted to actually finish the film the way it was meant to be when I was originally doing it. At the beginning, people went, "Don't you like it?" I said, "Well, the film only came out to be 25 or 30 percent of what I wanted it to be." They said, "What are you talking about?" So finally, I stopped saying that, but if you read any interviews for about an eight- or nine-year period there, it was all about how disappointed I was and how unhappy I was and what a dismal experience it was. You know, it's too bad you need to get kind of half a job done and never get to finish it. So this was my chance to finish it.
AP: Why not release both the originals and special editions on DVD?
Lucas: The special edition, that's the one I wanted out there. The other movie, it's on VHS, if anybody wants it. ... I'm not going to spend the, we're talking millions of dollars here, the money and the time to refurbish that, because to me, it doesn't really exist anymore. It's like this is the movie I wanted it to be, and I'm sorry you saw half a completed film and fell in love with it. But I want it to be the way I want it to be. I'm the one who has to take responsibility for it. I'm the one who has to have everybody throw rocks at me all the time, so at least if they're going to throw rocks at me, they're going to throw rocks at me for something I love rather than something I think is not very good, or at least something I think is not finished.
AP: Do you pay much attention to fan reactions to your choices?
Lucas: Not really. The movies are what the movies are. ... The thing about science-fiction fans and "Star Wars" fans is they're very independent-thinking people. They all think outside the box, but they all have very strong ideas about what should happen, and they think it should be their way. Which is fine, except I'm making the movies, so I should have it my way.
AP: After "Episode III," will you ever revisit "Star Wars"?
Lucas: Ultimately, I'm going to probably move it into television and let other people take it. I'm sort of preserving the feature film part for what has happened and never go there again, but I can go off into various offshoots and things. You know, I've got offshoot novels, I've got offshoot comics. So it's very easy to say, "Well, OK, that's that genre, and I'll find a really talented person to take it and create it." Just like the comic books and the novels are somebody else's way of doing it. I don't mind that. Some of it might turn out to be pretty good. If I get the right people involved, it could be interesting.
SAN RAFAEL, Calif. - George Lucas never figured on a 30-year career as a space pilot. Once "Star Wars" shot into hyperspace, though, he found it hard to come back down to Earth.
Making its DVD debut Tuesday, Lucas' original sci-fi trilogy — "Star Wars," "The Empire Strikes Back" and "Return of the Jedi" — began as an experimental foray into old-time studio moviemaking for Lucas, whose first two films had been far removed from usual Hollywood sensibilities.
Lucas' sci-fi satire "THX 1138" had been a commercial dud, but the energetic "American Graffiti" with its driving soundtrack and multi-character point of view scored with audiences, giving the director clout to try something bigger that had been on his mind.
"I'd already started this other idea, which was to do a kind of a classic action adventure film using sets," Lucas said over lunch at his 2,600-acre Skywalker Ranch. "I'd never worked on a set, I'd never worked at a studio. Never made a traditional movie. So I said, `I'm going to do this once, just to see what it's like, what it's like to actually design everything, work on a soundstage, do an old-fashioned 1930s movie.
"And I'll do it in that mode from the 1930s Saturday matinee serials, using kind of 1930s and '40s sensibilities, and I'll base it on sort of mythological motifs and icons. I'll just put it together in a modern form, and I'll have fun. That's how I got into that. I did it because it was an interesting move into an area that I thought I'd never go into."
Three decades later, Lucas is preparing to launch the last of his six "Star Wars" films. Next summer brings "Star Wars: Episode III — Revenge of the Sith," completing the prequel trilogy that tells the story of young Anakin Skywalker's metamorphosis into the villainous Darth Vader of the original three films.
Fans have eagerly awaited the first three "Star Wars" films on DVD, a release Lucas initially intended to delay until he finished "Episode III."
Some will be miffed that the original theatrical versions are not included in the "Star Wars" boxed set, which features only the special-edition versions Lucas issued in the late 1990s, with added effects and footage, including a scene between Harrison Ford (news)'s Han Solo and crime lord Jabba the Hutt in the first "Star Wars."
AP: Why did you change your mind and decide to put the original three movies out on DVD now?
Lucas: Just because the market has shifted so dramatically. A lot of people are getting very worried about piracy. That has really eaten dramatically into the sales. It really just came down to, there may not be a market when I wanted to bring it out, which was like, three years from now. So rather than just sit by and watch the whole thing fall apart, better to bring it out early and get it over with.
AP: Why did you rework the original trilogy into the special-edition versions in the late 1990s?
Lucas: To me, the special edition ones are the films I wanted to make. Anybody that makes films knows the film is never finished. It's abandoned or it's ripped out of your hands, and it's thrown into the marketplace, never finished. It's a very rare experience where you find a filmmaker who says, "That's exactly what I wanted. I got everything I needed. I made it just perfect. I'm going to put it out there." And even most artists, most painters, even composers would want to come back and redo their work now. They've got a new perspective on it, they've got more resources, they have better technology, and they can fix or finish the things that were never done. ... I wanted to actually finish the film the way it was meant to be when I was originally doing it. At the beginning, people went, "Don't you like it?" I said, "Well, the film only came out to be 25 or 30 percent of what I wanted it to be." They said, "What are you talking about?" So finally, I stopped saying that, but if you read any interviews for about an eight- or nine-year period there, it was all about how disappointed I was and how unhappy I was and what a dismal experience it was. You know, it's too bad you need to get kind of half a job done and never get to finish it. So this was my chance to finish it.
AP: Why not release both the originals and special editions on DVD?
Lucas: The special edition, that's the one I wanted out there. The other movie, it's on VHS, if anybody wants it. ... I'm not going to spend the, we're talking millions of dollars here, the money and the time to refurbish that, because to me, it doesn't really exist anymore. It's like this is the movie I wanted it to be, and I'm sorry you saw half a completed film and fell in love with it. But I want it to be the way I want it to be. I'm the one who has to take responsibility for it. I'm the one who has to have everybody throw rocks at me all the time, so at least if they're going to throw rocks at me, they're going to throw rocks at me for something I love rather than something I think is not very good, or at least something I think is not finished.
AP: Do you pay much attention to fan reactions to your choices?
Lucas: Not really. The movies are what the movies are. ... The thing about science-fiction fans and "Star Wars" fans is they're very independent-thinking people. They all think outside the box, but they all have very strong ideas about what should happen, and they think it should be their way. Which is fine, except I'm making the movies, so I should have it my way.
AP: After "Episode III," will you ever revisit "Star Wars"?
Lucas: Ultimately, I'm going to probably move it into television and let other people take it. I'm sort of preserving the feature film part for what has happened and never go there again, but I can go off into various offshoots and things. You know, I've got offshoot novels, I've got offshoot comics. So it's very easy to say, "Well, OK, that's that genre, and I'll find a really talented person to take it and create it." Just like the comic books and the novels are somebody else's way of doing it. I don't mind that. Some of it might turn out to be pretty good. If I get the right people involved, it could be interesting.
09-15-04, 11:11 PM
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AP: Do you pay much attention to fan reactions to your choices?
Lucas: Not really. The movies are what the movies are. ... The thing about science-fiction fans and "Star Wars" fans is they're very independent-thinking people. They all think outside the box, but they all have very strong ideas about what should happen, and they think it should be their way. Which is fine, except I'm making the movies, so I should have it my way.
Lucas: Not really. The movies are what the movies are. ... The thing about science-fiction fans and "Star Wars" fans is they're very independent-thinking people. They all think outside the box, but they all have very strong ideas about what should happen, and they think it should be their way. Which is fine, except I'm making the movies, so I should have it my way.
Interesting that he says that after III, he will look into television and let others touch the material. that should be very interesting. Most interesting indeed.
09-15-04, 11:18 PM
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Re: George Lucas interview on Star Wars
"AP: Why not release both the originals and special editions on DVD?
Lucas: The special edition, that's the one I wanted out there. The other movie, it's on VHS, if anybody wants it. ... I'm not going to spend the, we're talking millions of dollars here, the money and the time to refurbish that, because to me, it doesn't really exist anymore. It's like this is the movie I wanted it to be, and I'm sorry you saw half a completed film and fell in love with it. But I want it to be the way I want it to be. I'm the one who has to take responsibility for it. I'm the one who has to have everybody throw rocks at me all the time, so at least if they're going to throw rocks at me, they're going to throw rocks at me for something I love rather than something I think is not very good, or at least something I think is not finished. "
I must say, that's quite a respectable answer. And I'm one of the SE haters.
Lucas: The special edition, that's the one I wanted out there. The other movie, it's on VHS, if anybody wants it. ... I'm not going to spend the, we're talking millions of dollars here, the money and the time to refurbish that, because to me, it doesn't really exist anymore. It's like this is the movie I wanted it to be, and I'm sorry you saw half a completed film and fell in love with it. But I want it to be the way I want it to be. I'm the one who has to take responsibility for it. I'm the one who has to have everybody throw rocks at me all the time, so at least if they're going to throw rocks at me, they're going to throw rocks at me for something I love rather than something I think is not very good, or at least something I think is not finished. "
I must say, that's quite a respectable answer. And I'm one of the SE haters.
09-15-04, 11:20 PM
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Re: George Lucas interview on Star Wars
Originally posted by Iron_Giant
AP: Why not release both the originals and special editions on DVD?
Lucas: The special edition, that's the one I wanted out there. The other movie, it's on VHS, if anybody wants it. ... I'm not going to spend the, we're talking millions of dollars here, the money and the time to refurbish that, because to me, it doesn't really exist anymore.
AP: Why not release both the originals and special editions on DVD?
Lucas: The special edition, that's the one I wanted out there. The other movie, it's on VHS, if anybody wants it. ... I'm not going to spend the, we're talking millions of dollars here, the money and the time to refurbish that, because to me, it doesn't really exist anymore.
09-15-04, 11:21 PM
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Originally posted by Jackskeleton
status = ownage.
Interesting that he says that after III, he will look into television and let others touch the material. that should be very interesting. Most interesting indeed.
status = ownage.
Interesting that he says that after III, he will look into television and let others touch the material. that should be very interesting. Most interesting indeed.
09-15-04, 11:21 PM
#7
DVD Talk Special Edition
So he basically admits that he is releasing these now in order to cash in before he anticipates the market will drop (maybe as a result of the next wave of HD-DVD, who knows). An honest response but fuel for the Luca$ bashers.... 
I don't care either way but Lucas comes across as a little bit arrogant in the interview. I mean, sure it's his movie and all but if I had made millions (or was it billions?) from these movies, I would be inclined to be a little nicer to the fans who made me rich. Bitching that it would cost millions to put the original versions out seems kinda callous, and how would it cost millions anyway?
I don't care either way but Lucas comes across as a little bit arrogant in the interview. I mean, sure it's his movie and all but if I had made millions (or was it billions?) from these movies, I would be inclined to be a little nicer to the fans who made me rich. Bitching that it would cost millions to put the original versions out seems kinda callous, and how would it cost millions anyway?
Lucas!
09-15-04, 11:25 PM
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Originally posted by ResIpsa
Bitching that it would cost millions to put the original versions out seems kinda callous, and how would it cost millions anyway?
Bitching that it would cost millions to put the original versions out seems kinda callous, and how would it cost millions anyway?
09-15-04, 11:25 PM
#11
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To his credit he did say they would never be released again on home video way back in the 90's and stood by it. I'll give him that and I've got my originals on Laserdisc and backed up on DVD-R so its not a big issue with me.
His finished version is inferior to the originals though. Too bad he will never understand what made that imperfect original trilogy so great.
That TV series could kick ass though.
His finished version is inferior to the originals though. Too bad he will never understand what made that imperfect original trilogy so great.
That TV series could kick ass though.
Last edited by darkside; 09-15-04 at 11:29 PM.
09-15-04, 11:28 PM
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Originally posted by darkside
His finished version is inferior to the originals though. Too bad he will never understand that.
His finished version is inferior to the originals though. Too bad he will never understand that.
09-15-04, 11:29 PM
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It does seem like the Ultimate Star Wars edit is out of the question.
Anyway, never say never....I could see later down the road the originals being released. Lucas isn't going to live forever....the rights will go to someone else...who might understand the fans and $$$.
Anyway, never say never....I could see later down the road the originals being released. Lucas isn't going to live forever....the rights will go to someone else...who might understand the fans and $$$.
09-15-04, 11:31 PM
#14
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Originally posted by dgc
Inferior in what way? Artistic? From what I've read so far, certainly not the audio and video presentation of it.
Inferior in what way? Artistic? From what I've read so far, certainly not the audio and video presentation of it.
Inferior in the changes made to make it mesh with a prequel that isn't even a fraction as enjoyable as the original trilogy.
09-15-04, 11:31 PM
#15
I have to disagree about filmmakers wanting to go back and change their own work. I think every filmmaker puts out a film, sees how it is received, and then goes and makes another one. They don't keep changing and changing their old films.
09-15-04, 11:34 PM
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Originally posted by darkside
If you watch movies just for the image and sound quality you are really missing the point.
Inferior in the changes made to make it mesh with a prequel that isn't even a fraction as enjoyable as the original trilogy.
If you watch movies just for the image and sound quality you are really missing the point.
Inferior in the changes made to make it mesh with a prequel that isn't even a fraction as enjoyable as the original trilogy.
well if left by itself and those glaring errors were kept as is, I would argue that the flaws would make the original seem silly.
whatever. I'm not saying the SE is better, but to say inferior is silly. Especially if you have seen the quality. the whites are perfect.
09-15-04, 11:40 PM
#17
DVD Talk Platinum Edition
Originally posted by PopcornTreeCt
I have to disagree about filmmakers wanting to go back and change their own work. I think every filmmaker puts out a film, sees how it is received, and then goes and makes another one. They don't keep changing and changing their old films.
I have to disagree about filmmakers wanting to go back and change their own work. I think every filmmaker puts out a film, sees how it is received, and then goes and makes another one. They don't keep changing and changing their old films.
DJ
09-15-04, 11:42 PM
#18
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Originally posted by PopcornTreeCt
I have to disagree about filmmakers wanting to go back and change their own work. I think every filmmaker puts out a film, sees how it is received, and then goes and makes another one. They don't keep changing and changing their old films.
I have to disagree about filmmakers wanting to go back and change their own work. I think every filmmaker puts out a film, sees how it is received, and then goes and makes another one. They don't keep changing and changing their old films.
If its not the film you want to release you should have never put your name on it in the first place.
History shows this is not true though. Chaplin never stopped changing his films.
Honestly, I really have no problem with him changing it every year if he wants to, but the original should be made as easily available. Imagine if you bought a painting and the guy showed up at your house every sixth months to touch up things he didn't like, but that you had grown to love about the picture.
Once the film is released to the public it kind of belongs to us all in a way and should be preserved.
However, this is a dead issue. The originals are not going to be revisited and thats that. They will have to live on in bootlegs. He has made it clear and given his reasons for it. I credit him for that.
09-15-04, 11:42 PM
#19
Originally posted by djtoell
Who is the "they" to whom you refer? Surely not Charlie Chaplin, Michael Mann, Steven Spielberg, D.W. Griffith, Milos Forman, Ridley Scott, Michael Bay, Oliver Stone, Wolfgang Petersen, Luc Besson, James Cameron...
DJ
Who is the "they" to whom you refer? Surely not Charlie Chaplin, Michael Mann, Steven Spielberg, D.W. Griffith, Milos Forman, Ridley Scott, Michael Bay, Oliver Stone, Wolfgang Petersen, Luc Besson, James Cameron...
DJ
09-15-04, 11:46 PM
#20
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Originally posted by PopcornTreeCt
I was actually thinking of Scorsese when I was writing it.
I was actually thinking of Scorsese when I was writing it.
And a director's cut is not the same as what Lucas does. Its simply different editing not re-shooting.
DJ
09-15-04, 11:50 PM
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Originally posted by darkside
If you watch movies just for the image and sound quality you are really missing the point.
Inferior in the changes made to make it mesh with a prequel that isn't even a fraction as enjoyable as the original trilogy.
If you watch movies just for the image and sound quality you are really missing the point.
Inferior in the changes made to make it mesh with a prequel that isn't even a fraction as enjoyable as the original trilogy.
I honestly think for the majority of fans that it's only knowing that the changes are there that bothers them. Had these changes been present during their original release, there would be no disappointment or everlasting debate.
BTW, I did enjoy the prequels about 5/6 ths as much as the originals but that's just my minority opinion. Had i seen the prequels as a child, I probably would have liked them just as much as the original trilogy.
09-15-04, 11:50 PM
#22
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Originally posted by darkside
Terry Gilliam said it best.
If its not the film you want to release you should have never put your name on it in the first place.
Terry Gilliam said it best.
If its not the film you want to release you should have never put your name on it in the first place.
Imagine if you bought a painting and the guy showed up at your house every sixth months to touch up things he didn't like, but that you had grown to love about the picture.
DJ
09-15-04, 11:59 PM
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imagine every classic film being re-visited every ten, twenty,forty years, and each time tweaked and updated to the point that it loses its original charm. Lucas is just being mule-headed here. he can do whatever he wants to his movies, but how about giving his "fans" (the ones who made him a billionaire) a choice? bah, enough bantering, this is beating a dead horse. sorry!
09-16-04, 12:01 AM
#24
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Originally posted by djtoell
Weird then that Gilliam personally prepared three different cuts of Brazil with his name on them.
Weird then that Gilliam personally prepared three different cuts of Brazil with his name on them.
Imagine your example was so unlike the situation being discussed in this thread that it didn't work at all.
DJ
DJ
09-16-04, 12:08 AM
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I know this is all about star wars and i along with the millions of others can't wait til next tuesday, but i wish there could have been a question about when we will see a "howard the duck" dvd.